Good day, CIOs. The U.S. technology model may live to see another day with an adviser to the European Union's top court arguing on Thursday that Google and other search engines shouldn’t be forced to apply the 'right to be forgotten' law beyond the bloc's borders, The Wall Street Journal's Sam Schechner reports. After raking U.S. technology companies over the coals for years, the news could be seen as a surprise.

At issue in the case is the right, established in 2014, for EU residents to demand that search engines remove links containing personal information. In 2015, France’s privacy regulator ordered Google to expand its takedowns, regardless of where the searcher is located. Google appealed.

Maciej Szpunar, an advocate general for the court, in a statement noted that what's at stake concerns who gets to write and enforce the internet. “There is a real risk of reducing freedom of expression to the lowest common denominator across Europe and the world," he wrote. Thursday's activities indicate that Western Europe and the U.S. may not really be so far apart.

TECHNOLOGY NEWS

5G or not 5G? That's a question.The WSJ's Drew FitzGerald writes: U.S. telecom companies have started slapping the 5G label on a smorgasbord of technologies, sowing confusion as they lay the infrastructure for full-fledged mobile 5G wireless service.

Algos grow bearish. Funds that use trend-following algorithms have moved from holding net long positions, or betting that prices would rise to being short, or wagering against, everything but bonds. And even their embrace of bonds is bearish, says the WSJ's Stephanie Yang.

Jeff Bezos and his wife, MacKenzie, announce divorce. Mr. Bezos shared the news in a Wednesday tweet, the Journal's Micah Maidenberg reports. They have been married for 25 years. The divorce could have implications for the ownership structure of Amazon.com Inc., where Mr. Bezos is the largest shareholder with a 16.3% stake, says the WSJ. Much will depend on whether a prenuptial or postnuptial agreement outlining the terms of a possible split exists.

Norway to Huawei: Maybe, maybe not. The Nordic country is considering whether to allow Huawei Techologies Co. to build out its 5G infrastructure, Reuters reports. The telecom giant has seen a number of western nations cut ties, citing espionage concerns. Norway's telecom companies currently use Huawei's 4G equipment.

What many of the CES gizmos have in common. Voice assistants seem to be dominating the show floor in Las Vegas this week. "No matter who makes the hardware, the virtual aide linked to or packaged inside is likely to be one of two: either Amazon's Alexa or Google Assistant," the BBC reports.

Samsung to show off its new foldable phone in February. The WSJ's Timothy W. Martin reports that Samsung Electronics Co. has signaled to partners that the foldable-screen phone could be released in April, though no final decision has been made. The device’s name is still being determined, with “Fold” or “Galaxy Fold,” as well as “Galaxy F” as three possibilities.

State-backed hackers stole Singapore leader’s medical data. The government-commissioned investigation concluded the attack, uncovered last year, “had a clear goal in mind, namely the personal and outpatient medication data of the prime minister in the main, and that of other patients.” The report didn’t name a suspect. The Journal's Jake Maxwell Watts and P.R. Venkat report that the Singapore hack netted the personal details of 1.5 million people, a quarter of the city-state’s population.

EVERYTHING ELSE YOU NEED TO KNOW

As talks to end a partial government shutdown broke down, White House officials said an increasingly likely option is for President Trump to declare an emergency. (WSJ)

The Los Angeles teachers union postponed the planned start date of a strike to Monday, as it continued talks with district officials aimed at averting a walkout in the nation’s second-largest school district. (WSJ)

The trial of Mexican drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán has given the public an unprecedented look inside the operations of the Sinaloa cartel. (WSJ)